The video footage told all. A controversial fatal police shooting of 28-year old Nicholas Robertson back in 2015 has finally come to a financial resolution for his three young children and wife, thanks in large part to the video evidence. The city of Los Angeles will pay his family $3.6 million following a unanimous verdict.

The Los Angeles Times reports on the details, “Robertson was carrying an unloaded handful in December 2015 when he was confronted by deputies as he walked towards an Arco gas station near Long Beach Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue. Police said Robertson ignored commands to drop his weapon prior to the deputies’ decision to open fire. Footage of the shooting appears to show Robertson walking and then crawling away from the deputies as they let off repeated bursts of gunfire.”

Robertson was shot a total of 16 times. Why sue the city for the action of their employees instead of the deputies themselves? The main reason for this is has to do with money. The city can pay a $3.6 million verdict…it’s highly unlikely that the two deputies could. That being said, many personal injury cases list multiple defendants.

The same logic holds true for a lot of California personal injury and wrongful death cases when a government agency or private company is named in a suit. For instance, a lot of the wrongful death truck accident cases we handle involve naming the trucking company as one or the only defendant. In addition to the financial liability, holding the employer or government accountable for the negligent and sometimes criminal actions of their employees can also help to impact a positive systematic change down the line. Companies are forced to look at training and discipline programs in place to see where things went wrong and what they can do to ensure that things like this don’t happen in the future. While nothing will bring your loved on back, a wrongful death lawsuit can help provide closure in addition to getting you much-needed funds.

At Walch Law, we are here to help you with your California wrongful death case. If you have lost a loved one because of the actions of someone else, including law enforcement, do not hesitate to get in touch with us today. We have over four decades of experience helping individuals and families in your very situation and will work hard to get you the same great results we have gotten for so many of our clients in the past. Get in touch with us today.